The present invention relates to a release mechanism. More particularly, the invention relates to a mechanism which periodically releases a quantity of material stored in a container at predetermined intervals of time.
There are many feeders on the market that dispense feed automatically. These range from units that rely on the wind to dispense the feed to very large units that dispense variable amounts of feed at multi times, to feed at almost any time of the day or night. The following is a brief description of some of the feeders on the market at this time:
(1) Wind Feeder
This is a unit that comprises a five (5) gallon bucket with about a one (1) inch hole in the center of the bottom. Suspended in this hole is a top shaped metal piece (much like a toy top used by small boys). Attached to this top and suspended about twelve (12) inches below the bucket are two (2) flat metal sheets forming an "x". When the wind blows against the metal sheets, it rocks the top and lets a few grains of feed drop out of the bucket.
The major problem with this feeder is that when the wind blows too hard, the feeder will feed in excess; and when the wind does not blow, the feeder does not function.